China Eastern Airlines, already the major Chinese airline with the greatest focus on low-cost operations, is planning to operate a mainland budget subsidiary from Beijing. At the same time, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is stepping up its campaign to promote low-cost airlines, setting aside its long-standing disdain for the potentially destabilizing model.

Consumers may be buying the latest electronic goods, but they are certainly not spending as much as they were 10 years ago. That means the air cargo industry, which is being swamped with belly capacity, is being left with a lot of empty space and nothing to fill it.

If the rise of the Persian Gulf carriers has been frightening so far for the rest of the industry, competitors should not even look at what is going to happen in 2014. The three big Middle Eastern airlines will have access to significantly improved infrastructure as they continue to grow their fleets.

Asian LCCs stake long-haul claims with big fleet moves, startup plans

Asian budget airlines are still looking at new markets

Touchscreen Cockpits

The future is now for airlines strategizing their surveillance system purchases and installations ahead of the FAA's 2020 mandate for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) equipage. Although six years away, the January 2020 deadline for ADS-B is high on the to-do list for maintenance shop visits even now, especially for smaller operators with large fleets who already know they will have problems complying.

Commercial and defense markets face similar demands on program performance